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Step 1
Research the wedding industry. Be sure that you truly like what it's all about. Although the wedding industry is exciting, it can be cutthroat and competitive. Talk to wedding consultants in nearby communities. (You want to avoid those who will be in direct competition with you, as that could create a conflict of interest eventually.)
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Step 2
Set up a projected budget. A wedding consultant business can start for less than $1,000. It's best to simply set money aside until you can start it with no other upfront investment. Although it's usually wise to not use your own money in business, the time and effort to secure such little funding---and the headache of paying back a loan or credit card---can outweigh the benefits. Your budget should state how much money will need to continue your business once you acquire clients, and it should also state the costs of networking, travel and advertising.
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Step 3
Write a business plan. This is different from the plan needed for most businesses. Factor in the price you'll be paid per event. You'll need to address plans specific to planning businesses. The time and effort to win customers needs to be factored in, as does a possible time when you'll be booked consistently and have to hire assistants. Make one-year, five-year and 10-year plans, allowing for growth.
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Step 4
Create rules. Since customer satisfaction, word-of-mouth recommendations and referrals will be the backbone of your planning business, establish a plan of dealing with customer complaints while also watching out for the bottom line. If people know they can take advantage of you, some of them will. In time you'll be able to hone the balance between keeping brides happy and taking care of business, but you should set clear guidelines and put them in writing. This will help you as you go. Follow it as though you were an employee.
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Step 5
Decide on the type of consulting services you want to offer. Some consultants offer full services and a secondary advice-type service for a smaller fee. You'll likely want to offer full consultation, in which you walk the bride through things every step of the way. Decide if you want to offer website-only consultation services. Some consultants are adding national and international customer base by offering telephone and Internet-based consultations. Since florists, caterers and wedding locations can be reached in all sorts of ways, this makes sense. By offering a discount above local consultants, you could actually acquire customers all over the country---which could be profitable.
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Step 6
Set prices for your services. The percentage that you charge customers per wedding or flat fee should be established. Think about customers and how they'll likely view your business. By offering options to customers, you should show them how they'll save money by picking one option or the other. Customers with small budgets will appreciate the percentage option, but those with huge weddings that take the flat fee could be detrimental to the other customers. Weighing in on your likely customers and what works best for you can help you price your services.
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Step 7
Name your business. It needs to be clever, memorable and specific to wedding planning. A name too generic can have people calling you to plan their child's birthday party, and a name too specific can confuse the average bride.
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Step 8
Register a domain name. Your first few ideas might be taken, so make a list of several choices before attempting to register. It should match your chosen business name, or you should rethink the name chosen in Step 8. The two should match up to be most effective.
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Step 9
Establish a website. You should include photographs from past weddings, a portfolio, a resume, customer satisfaction comments, the level of services offered, any other information to advertise your services, relevant links for the modern bride and contact information---including a business phone line, email address and mailing address. It should also include payment options, like credit cards and PayPal.
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Step 10
Offer complimentary services to friends and family members in exchange for using the photographs and event samples for your portfolio and website. Ask them to provide customer satisfactory testimony.
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Step 11
Network with other wedding services. This is, perhaps, the most important aspect of making your business a success. You need to get to know local businesses, and you need to learn---before recommending any---which ones are good and reliable. Eliminate all contact with those that are not, and avoid badmouthing companies to brides. This can be seen as unprofessional, and it's a small world. She may know or be related to a certain business owner. Keep negative knowledge neutral and recommend the good stuff. Work with reliable businesses to assist one another. They may offer discounts for repeated recommendations, and this can benefit your customers---both from the discount and the benefit of your experience in knowing which companies to trust.
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Step 12
Advertise your wedding consulting business. Hand out business cards and fliers to local businesses frequented by brides.
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Step 13
Hire yourself for the business. Although this can seem like a ridiculous notion, it's important to hire yourself as a consultant for your own business. Without a boss breathing down your neck, it's important to keep your personal motivation high. Set goals that must be achieved each and every workday. But give yourself some paid days off, although don't expect them to be during the weekend, a time when many brides have free time to work with you.
